Into the Fray (Daring Escapes #3) - Margaret Daley Page 0,31

firing or someone else. I know how to shoot. My dad taught me at a young age, so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a chuckle then headed toward the fire pit. He added more wood to the blaze and poured coffee into a tin cup as though he was going to remain awake.

As the others who had been awakened by the gunshots wandered back to their tents, Tory closed the distance between her and Guerrero and stood next to him, staring at the jungle not far away. “Are you going to stay up the whole night?”

He took a long sip of his coffee. “Yes.”

“So, you think there’s something other than the jaguar out there?”

He nodded.

“When do you sleep? You were up early this morning.”

“I’ll sleep tomorrow morning when it’s light. I don’t require more than five hours. When it’s needed, I can function on several hours for days.” Guerrero glanced over his shoulder and scanned the site, pausing when he saw the other two guards in the ruins. “You need to get your rest. I’ll be fine.”

“Yes. I have a lot to do tomorrow. There’s a barrier in an offshoot tunnel we discovered today. I’m anxious to see where it goes.” Tired from the long day, she started removing the night vison goggles to return them to him.

He put his hand on hers, stopping her. “Keep them for now. You’ll feel more reassured having them.”

“Thanks. It’s comforting to make out images in the dark, especially when I saw the jaguar leaving the area.” She smiled at Guerrero. “Good night.” She walked away, eager to lie down and get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a long day, hopefully filled with discoveries.

Ten minutes ago, Katie, her tentmate, had been outside to see where the gunshots came from like the other members of the expedition. But when Katie realized it wasn’t anything important, she’d ducked back into their tent. She could practically sleep through any noise, but the blast from Guerrero’s pistol had awakened her intern.

Before Tory reached the tent they shared, she paused, sending a prayer to God to thank Him that nothing went wrong tonight. Then she ducked her head and entered her lodging. With the night vision goggles still on, she spied Katie already asleep. Tory wished she had the ability of going to sleep instantly. Too many things swirled in her mind as she approached her cot, her sleeping bag spread out on the bed as she had left it earlier. She unzipped the side closest to her, flung it wide open, and started to take off her goggles.

But instead she froze at the sight of the snake on her sleeping bag.

Is it a fer-de-lance?

Chapter Six

As the snake began to raise itself to strike Tory, she swiftly lifted her hand holding her gun and shot it. The sound ricocheted through the quiet of the night. Her focus still on what she was fairly sure was a fer-de-lance, a highly poisonous snake in Puerto Sierra, she stiffened, prepared to discharge her weapon again if it moved. When it twitched, she fired again.

“What’s—” Katie fell silent.

Guerrero charged into their tent, his firearm clutched in his hand. His gaze fixed on her cot, he moved in quickly, putting himself between her and the snake.

Katie scrambled to sit up in her bed and turned on the lantern. She pointed at the reptile, her hand shaking. “It’s a snake.”

The brightness in the tent prompted Tory and Guerrero to take off their night vision goggles. While she stepped back to let Guerrero examine the reptile, her whole body shook at what happened in no more than a minute. If she’d been bitten by the snake, she might not have been able to get to a hospital to be treated in time.

“It’s a fer-de-lance. You’re lucky you had your gun.” Guerrero grabbed a hiking stick nearby and carefully lifted the dead, lethal animal off the cot.

As he moved to discard it, Katie gasped. Her intern’s eyes grew wide. “It’s huge. How did it get in here?” She clutched herself and kicked her covers away as though there could be another hiding in her bed.

“I don’t know. The snake was under my covers on the cot.” No doubt her intern realized she’d come close to being attacked by the snake as much as Tory had been. “I’m not sure I can sleep now. Let’s check the whole tent.”

“I know I won’t be able to.” Katie carefully examined where she was going